What Is Rimming, What It Feels Like, Why We Like It & Safety
Rimming can be very pleasurable for men and women. Explore exactly what it means to give a rim job, why we like it, what it feels like, and safety precautions.

A rim job, also known as rimming, means having oral sex with an anus — kissing, licking, or sucking it — to provide pleasure to the recipient externally or internally — if the tongue slips inside the anus.
Here’s what you need to know about rimming:
- When rimming, one partner uses their mouth and tongue to stimulate the outer anus, optionally inserting their tongue inside the anus for internal stimulation.
- Rimming can feel good if you enjoy having your anus stimulated and the sensation is pretty similar to having a lubed finger rubbing or tickling the rim of your anus.
- When giving a rim job, a person’s anus tastes like nothing more than skin — there generally isn’t an unpleasant flavor as long as the anal area is clean.
- Rimming can be safe but it is not without risk, as the anus can harbor bacteria from fecal matter (such as E. coli or salmonella) and STIs can be transmitted between partners, particularly if the giver has abrasions, cuts, or open sores in their mouth.
- The act of rimming is not new or necessarily novel — it’s actually been around for centuries.
There is an ingrained sense of shock and (possible) disgust at the very idea of licking another person’s butthole since, you know, that’s where poop comes out.
Rimming is not some new phenomenon invented by Millennials, however, and it can be enjoyed safely — but there are some very important precautions to consider first.

Medically Reviewed By: Susan Milstein, PhD, Human Sexuality